Mechanical massage apparatus with crank and slide



March 26, 19%8 E T ETAL 3,374,784

MECHANICAL MASSAGE APPARATUS WITH CRANK AND SLIDE Filed Jan. '7, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS 3 a; azv/Paf zakf/vfigfl [pl 144i mew/0H March 26, 1963 G. T. BRENT ETAL 3 374 MECHANICAL MASSAGE AP Filed Jan. 7, 1966 ATTO l l? United States Patent 3,374,784 MECHANICAL MASSAGE APPARATUS WITH CRANK AND SLIDE George T. Brent, 311 N. Fort Harrison St., 33515, and

Edward S. Aronoif, 1826 Nottingham Lane, 33516,

both of Clearwater, Fla.

Filed Jan. 7, 1966, Ser. No. 519,209

6 Claims. (Cl. 12861) This invention relates to a mechanical massager for both general and localized or concentrated massaging of various areas of the human body which usually is done by the hand, and includes a mechanical massager capable of pressing, kneading, stroking, and other such motions ordinarily done by the hand.

Mechanical massagers heretofore produced have been unsatisfactory because they werent capable of performing the desired full hand manipulation but instead could only impart vibration or humming usually resulting from an unbalanced motor shaft or a vibrating reed.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple, inexpensive practical mechanical massager capable of use in the home, office, automobile or wherever needed to relieve tensions, muscular spasms, fatigue and the like, and installable in existing objects, such as chairs, tables, pillows, beds and the like when there is need for the motions imparted by the hand of a trained technician, thereby to provide a beneficial therapeutic effect.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective from the rear looking down on a massager illustrating one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2, a section along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3, a side sectional view on the line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4, a perspective of one of the massage pads with its supporting operating arm;

FIG. 5, a plan view of a massager mounted on a hand type holder;

FIG. 6, a massager with means for clamping it to a chair or other support so that a portion of the body may be moved into position to be operated upon the massager;

FIG. 7, a section on the line 77 of FIG. 6,

FIG. 8, a perspective of a massager applied to a wedgeshaped pillow; and,

FIG. 9, a section on the line 99 of FIG. 8.

Briefly stated the invention is a relatively simple, inexpensive, practical therapeutic massager having universally mounted massaging pads spaced in a manner to engage portions of the body such as opposite sides of the neck, the small of the back, legs, arms, and other portions of the body, such universally mounted massage pads being carried on arms mounted for squeezing or pressing toward each other, circular, vertical, horizontal, and pulsing or pressing actions on a base or support with arms activated from a source of power in the form of an electric motor or gear box and cranks for imparting the necessary action to arms carrying the massage pads when the device is electrically energized with several motions subject to adjustable control as to speed, length, width, and extent.

With continued reference to the drawings a power plant such as a conventional electric motor 10 is provided and through a gear box 11 and suitable gearing therein drives a shaft 12 extending from each side of the gear box 11. On the shaft 12 crank wheels 13 are fixed, each crank wheel having an opening 14 offset from its center for the receipt of a two-part crank pin composed of a base 15 and a head 16 with adjacent inclined facing surfaces tapered to form an annular groove about the crank pin. The base 15 and head 16 of the crank pin are secured in the crank wheel 13 by means of a set screw 17.

3,3 74,784 Patented Mar. 26, 1968 As the crank wheel 13 is rotated by the motor 10 the crank pin will be carried in a circular path. To the crank pin is attached an operating arm 18 having an opening 19 in which the crank pin is received, the operating arm having an angular slot 20 in which a fixed pin 21 is received, such pin 21 being mounted in the bifurcated end 22 of a mounting member 23 attached to .a base or support 24.

It will be understood that there are two of the rotating cam wheels and two of the operating arms, one end of each of the operating arms being attached to a crank pin, while the opposite end of each of the operating arms has universally connected thereto a massage pad 25 by means of a universal joint 26. Thus as the cam wheels rotate the operating arms will be both reciprocated and oscillated to cause the massage pads to move toward and from the cam wheels and toward and from each other while travelling in a generally circular path. This projection and retraction of the massage pads, as well as causing them to move toward and from each other, and the rotary motion given to each, corresponds to hand massage.

The mounting members 23 on the base or support 24 are relatively movable by means of a shaft 27 with an operating head 28 by means of which it is rotated. The shaft has reverse threads 29 and 30 so that when it is rotated the mounting members 23 will be caused to move toward and from each other, thus providing means for adjusting the distance between the massage pads 25.

In FIG. 5 is illustrated a massager in which a hand type holder 31 with a hand grip portion 32 carries the massager enabling it to be manipulated by hand when in use.

In FIG. 6 is disclosed a massager generally similar to that of FIG. 5, but provided with an adjustable supporting shaft composed of a telescopic sleeve 34 with a clamping ring 35 by which the length of the same can be adjusted or the parts of such sleeve can be secured in relatively adjusted position. On the lower end of the sleeve 34 is mounted a fixed jaw 36 and a movable clamping jaw 37 with a screw and wing nut by which the jaw 37 can be moved relative to the jaw 36 to clamp the device onto the back of a chair or other support.

In FIG. 8 a massaging device as disclosed is incorporated in a wedge-shaped pillow 39 with mechanism operating the pads externally or internally through a diaphragm.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the present invention may be portable, semi-portable, or non-portable and may be attached to a chair, table, or other device, and can be used readily to massage the muscles and adjacent tissues of various areas of the body. Also, the massager of the present invention has wide application for use by those in various walks of life, for massaging to give the proper exercise, stimulation, rest, and relaxation, as well as to tone the parts of the body which need the same, and in certain pursuits where parts of the body have been retained in certain positions for a long period of time, whether it be clerical work or strenuous work, or due to displacement or sub-luxation of vertebrae or whiplash injuries, spinal misalignment, curvatures, out of balance joints, cramps in the legs and other parts of the body, where a massager of universal movement can treat such a condition and cause relaxation from fatigued muscle and the like in the same manner and movement as the human hand in massaging.

It will also be apparent that the massager of the present invention not only can be used appropriately on portions of the body through fatigue or abnormal conditions, whether it be light or heavy labor, domestic duties, inside and outside various sports, gardening and in the case of certain diseases such as rheumatism and arthritis, and other conditions of various types. It is designed to fit various parts of body and work in any position being partly beneficial to calm fatigued or spastic muscles, for

example, athleteswho develop charley horses,. muscle,

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made in the invention without departing from" the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is: V

1. A mechanical massager comprising massage elements located in a manner to engage and massage spaced portions of the body, an arm pivotally mounting each ofsaid massage elements, each arm having an inclined slot along its length, a support, a pin extending through each of said slots and being attached to said support means connected to the end of each of said arms remote from said massage elements, and power means for rotating said last mentioned means, whereby said arms will be projected, retracted, and oscillated to impart motion to said massage elements.

2. A massager as defined in claim 1 in which said massage elements are in the form of cushion type pads and the means connected to the ends of said arms remote from said massage elements are crank pins carried by cam wheels.

3. The structure of claim- 1 in which said massage elements are cushion pads spaced to fit opposite sides of the neck and other portions of the human body and in which said pins are relatively adjustable to vary the spacing of said massage elements.

4. The structure of claim 1 incorporated in a comfort device on the order of a pillow.

5. The structure of claim 1 in which said support is provided with a portion to be conveniently carried in the hand.

6. A massager of the character defined in claim 1 having means for attaching it to a support such as a chair.

. References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 718,766 1/1903 Ingram 12861 1,303,475 5/1919 Hardy et a1 l28 49 1,795,073 3/1931 Brown l2861 X 2,644,447 7/ 1953 Sanders 12852 3,159,859 12/ 1964 Rasmussen.

LAWRENCE W. TRAPP, Primary Examiner. 

1. A MECHANICAL MASSAGER COMPRISING MASSAGE ELEMENTS LOCATED IN A MANNER TO ENGAGE AND MASSAGE SPACED PORTIONS OF THE BODY, AN ARM PIVOTALLY MOUNTING EACH OF SAID MASSAGE ELEMENTS, EACH ARM HAVING AN INCLINED SLOT ALONG ITS LENGTH, A SUPPORT, A PIN EXTENDING THROUGH EACH OF SAID SLOTS AND BEING ATTACHED TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS CONNECTED TO THE END OF EACH OF SAID ARMS REMOTE FROM 